Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-06-02
wASDERING WRECKS AT SEA.
The AydrOaraphcr's snggessiOun In
Regard 10 Thctn.


New York Times.
The north Atlantic pilot chart for May |
shows that IA wrecks lie in or near the
pathway of coasting vessels between
Portland aud Cape Hstterhs, while there
are no less ihaE l6 OF these ''dereiicls" on
the route followed by tho great trans.
atlantic steamships. These wrecks should
DO destroyed One waterlogged tdere-
let, driven here md there by winds and
currents, threatens the safety of many
vessels aud losses due to the presence Of
these wanderers 10 the pathways Of COM
MERGE are frequently reported.
Abandoned wrecks do not speedily dis
appear and become harmless With
singular perversity they defy the tooth of
time, and even when buffeted about in
midoeean may resist for months and years
the forces of disintegration The
schooner Twenty. one Friends WINS aban-
doned off the coast of Virginia on March
| oath, 1885, and on October Goth of that
year the waterlogged hulk was sighted
| about 800 miles west of the south coast
Of Ireland. Two months later it was
seen 100 miles north of Cape Finisterre,
having apparently drifted at right angles
with the direction Of the prevailing
travelled $500 miles. The schooner
Maggie NJ. Rivers abandoned of Cape
Haiteras in january, 1884, was driven
across the gulf stream, and afterward was
reported many times as lying in the patti
Of vessels coming to this port from thu
equator. Not until November of that
; year was this wanderer caught and towed
j 10 Bermuda, ard then the duty was per
. | s., 49, Ilpftfeh nf MA vi
nine months this hulk was drifting in the
/ track of commerce, where it could hayt
i been reached in two days by one of on
y naval vessels.
i The photographic office has continual,
, done good service 10y locating such wreck
/ as nearly Ms possible upon its MONTH,
pilot charts, and it has also urged in il
| annual reports TINT our governmen
7 should provide for the prompt removu
OF these distinctions. In his lust annuN
!, report the photographer, Commando
4 Bartlett, suggested that small steame
i should he fitted out for the work of blow
q lug up wrecks along the coast, and shoul
# be used in this service throughout I'll
"A 4e4sut Whom I'LL 10 tuust me
y Gus. rNe. are sufficiently lnlmerou
n all tiiuer unfortunately sac he, q
JUSTLY LiAE A1tNtllAih VI u IVA tAiN y
IA peoial purpose of removing them" ii
Ia report also contained the following
N :" LA view of the immense number
a. deralcts tllating about the ocean it
"a suggested that the navy department tal
nd the initiative IN asking for an int
n. national convention, the object OF viii
~ would be TO assign different portions
r., the ocean TO each maritime nation. Ea
he would then patrol its own portion for I
.ly purpose Of towing in or destroying
III il0ating obstacles. Frequent reports a
received of slips running into these de-
m. Iiets, ara the number lost from this eau
M my be considerable. IL shipmasterg 4
al JGht every attempt was being made
nj ciVlllad governments TO clear tho oce
ia Of these dangers their anxieties, which /
.as sufficiently great from purely natu
oil causes, would be materially relieved"
for Some work in response to the first 81
.te gestioh has been done hy the navy
he paFtment but it is very plain that q or
M deal more ought to be done, and that
ng department should be enabled by legis
III ton to maintain small vessel contii
lid uusly in this service As for the seeo
"a suggestion il seems 10 ua TO he one I
ia deserves favorable consideration in
liz department aud in Congress.